Introduced Plants and Animals of Victoria

A narcotic weed

Papaver somniferum is an annual herb, to 1.5 m tall, with broad, toothed leaves and large white, red, pink or purple flowers with a broad, black cross in its centre. It is an occasional weed of roadsides in rural and urban areas of southern and central Victoria and is also found in low rainfall areas of the north-west in Wyperfeld and Hattah-Kulkyne National Parks. It is not considered to be a serious environmental weed nor is it a declared noxious weed anywhere in the state. The problem with Papaver somniferum is not environmental but legal, the viscous, milky liquid that is found in the seed casing contains the most famous narcotic in the world, and as a consequence it is an offence in this state to import poppy seeds, cultivate the plant or supply it to others.

There is no clear date for the first opium poppies in Victoria. It is often assumed that they were introduced by the early settlers but if that is the case they obviously were not successful in escaping into the bush as there are no confirmed records prior to the 20^th century. It is probable that Papaver somniferum was moderately frequently grown as a garden annual along with several other species such as Papaver aculeatum, P. dubium and P. hybridum all of which have been most successful in the drier parts of the state.

Papaver somniferum - Opium Poppy

If a plant is declared to be a noxious weed it is illegal for a landowner to allow it to grow on his or her property and the state may issue an eradication notice if this is not complied with. Papaver somniferum is classified as a narcotic plant, which makes it illegal for anyone to cultivate the species, but there is no clarity about the landowner's responsibility if a few (or even many) plants establish themselves on a property without human intervention. There is also no clear view on the responsibility of government agencies to remove naturalised populations from public land, an issue that may be significant for Papaver somniferum as the majority of the records for this species in Victoria are within national parks or flora and fauna reserves (the plant in the photograph above was in the Alpine National Park).

When the legality of botanical drugs is discussed it is common for only three species to be listed as narcotic plants; Papaver somniferum, Cannabis sativa and Erythroxylon coca (a South American shrub which is the natural source of cocaine). Cannabis is a declared noxious weed in Victoria but is not really a naturalised alien as most places that it is found in native vegetation are opportunistic plantations. Erythroxylon is neither a naturalised alien nor a declared noxious weed (it is in NSW) and it is doubtful that the species is grown domestically in very many places in this state. Despite the variation and possible confusion that the differing levels of legal responsibility relating to these species holds there is no doubt that it is illegal to cultivate any of them because they are considered to be narcotic plants. There are, however, other narcotic plants which are not covered by any legislation.

The Canary Grasses (Phalaris spp.) were introduced into Victoria from Europe in the late 1800s as a source of hay. They have become well established across the state in all regions except the far north-west and the eastern highlands and are still valued as a fodder crop. In more recent times it has been discovered that Phalaris aquatica (the commonest species in Victoria) has interesting pharmacological properties; its leaves contain the alkaloid dimethytryptamine (DMT) which is a prohibited psychotropic narcotic with similar properties to psilocybin, the active ingredient in so-called 'magic mushrooms' (Psilocybe spp.). The large numbers of DMT extraction recipes now available on the web has lead to a world-wide cottage industry in this potentially dangerous drug and Australian amateur chemists have been quick to recognise the value of Phalaris as an inexpensive source.

DMT is present in many species of plants as tryptamines are thought to be natural insecticides. The first extraction of DMT from a plant was in the 1940s when a Brazilian botanist detected it in the roots of a South and Central American shrub, Mimosa tenuiflora. It was almost certainly this discovery that lead Australian chemists to look for DMT in a number of species of Acacia (closely related members of the Mimosaceae) which met with success in the case of Acacia maidenii and Acacia phlebophylla, both of which are rare Victorian native species that are listed under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (FFG).

There is no law to prevent the propagation of Acacia maidenii and Acacia phlebophylla, as neither are listed as narcotic plants, despite having much higher concentrations of DMT than most species. However, the fact that both are protected under FFG legislation and their populations are contained wholly within national parks, means that it is illegal to collect any part of the plants, including seeds, without permits - and permits for these species are very hard to come by.